Giorgio Mulè on Alessandro Di Battista: We disagree on everything, but I care about him

Giorgio Mulè says his political clashes with Alessandro Di Battista never cancelled their personal affection. “Di Battista is an opponent, a fierce political opponent. But there is a limit, a boundary,” Mulè said. “I care about him.”

The Forza Italia deputy speaker of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies wrote an affectionate social media message after learning about Di Battista’s health. He also recalled their fierce television arguments on La7, followed by conversations and laughter backstage, often about their shared support for Lazio.

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Di Battista is an opponent, a fierce political opponent. But there is a limit, a boundary. I do not want to invoke the Christian ‘love your enemy’, but I refuse to let myself be imprisoned by hatred. You can have a very heated debate and remain human. I care about him.

The message drew hostile responses from users who accused the pair of being false, indecent or merely acting for television. Mulè said he was genuinely shocked by the cruelty of some comments. He was also pleased that several members of the Five Star Movement called to praise his words.

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The political arena is not the Colosseum where blood must flow.

Mulè argued that political disagreement does not require hatred. He and Di Battista, he said, disagree on everything, but still respect each other as people. Their arguments have covered Ukraine and Russia, with Mulè joking that Di Battista is strongly pro-Russian. They also tease each other over Lazio and former club president Claudio Lotito.

Both men are journalists, and Mulè said journalism remains part of Di Battista’s identity as he travels the world to report on it. He ended his message with an appeal to his old television rival: “Come back soon to ‘sort me out.’”

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Come back soon to ‘sort me out.’